Is it possible to “future proof” a career in technology? An article yesterday by IDG Connect proposes that to future proof your technology career you should learn “cyber security, business intelligence, data science/big data, DevOps, JavaScript and UX/UI development and design”.
Their suggestions are based on the fact that these domains are in high demand right now. But the must have technology today may be the forgotten technology of tomorrow. Basing your career on a single language or specialty almost ensures your skill set will become obsolete.
Specializing in a given tech field or becoming proficient in a particular programming language isn’t bad. But you shouldn’t base your entire career on it. A better approach is to gain broad knowledge in computer technology or programming and supplement that with specific expertise. That way when the language of the day changes or the cyber security field is saturated with employees, you’ll be able to shift to the new tech need easier and with more authority.
But there might be an even better way to avoid technology skills obscurity. In his book You Can Do Anything, author George Anders suggest that the key to securing a long lasting place in the work world is to develop skills that might be completely unrelated to what you think you should learn. The book’s premise is that a liberal arts degree could be the key to securing high paying jobs in a number of career fields including technology.
Anyone can learn a programming language. Anders says it’s “nothing that can’t be picked up in a few months of concentrated effort”. But it takes a different skill set to think creatively and apply technology training to the problems companies face. Liberal arts degrees can give you those different skill sets.
They can help you develop creative and critical thinking, communication and obtuse analysis skills among other things. My own political science degree solidified my analytical abilities and taught me how to look beyond seemingly obvious answers to problems and find solutions with more permanent outcomes. And it was my interest in political theory and intelligence that led me to a career in geographic information systems.
Having a computer science degree doesn’t doom you. Science degrees still produce some of the primary skills tech employers are looking for. But if you want to guarantee your place in today’s ever changing world of technology, hone your soft skills. Carve your own niche by looking outside of technology for the skills businesses are looking for in their best employees.